“Reluctant hero, Jo-Kin never wanted to be a Super Space Kid.
Not until Lord Terra kidnaps
his Commander’s little sister and starts destroying the galaxy. Jo-Kin reunites
the mighty Super Space Kids for an inter-planetary hunt for Lord Terra, finally
meeting in a legendary winner takes all battle on Planet Deelish-us.

Can Jo-Kin defeat the
all-powerful Lord Terra?

Blast off with gadgets, robots and funky food in a hilarious
outer space adventure that empowers you via teamwork, problem solving, and
resilience.

Recently I was given the pleasure of reading Karen Tyrrell's latest children's book Jo-Kin vs Lord Terra. Here is my review of this fun, action-packed book:

Once upon a time, Josh
Atkins was a computer geek and science nerd. But not anymore. Now Josh Atkins
is cool and life at Sunny Hills School is awesome.

So Josh isn’t
thrilled to see the teenage leader of Super Space Kids, Commander Nova, turn up
at his school. And the reason for Nova’s visit is bad news for everyone: You have to help save the junior Super Space
Kids and stop Lord Terra from destroying planet X. If you don’t, he’ll be on
his way to planet Earth to destroy us as well.

Josh, code-named
Jo-Kin, has a horrible feeling that he and his partner Sam, code-named
Sam-Wich, can’t win this battle against Lord Terra. But what do you do when the
world is counting on you?

You have an accident
and break your arm. At least that is what Sam-Wich does.

Could this situation
get any worse?Yes, because Jo-Kin needs
a new partner and is teamed up with his archenemy Mitch.

Not an auspicious
start to a mission to save planet Earth. Looks like we’re all doomed.

What follows is an
exciting and fun adventure, full of danger, spaceships, gadgets, robots and
aliens. Luckily for us, this wonderful novel reveals the power of teamwork,
problem solving and resilience. Otherwise, planet Earth might not be here today
and then you wouldn’t be reading this review. Jo-Kin vs Lord Terra is perfect for middle grade readers aged 7 to 10 years. Kids will love the adventure which is sometimes fun and sometimes full of danger, suspense and ugly aliens. This big kid loved it. The characters are great. I felt like I knew them, as if I was part of their team. Plus, the action and humor make this book an enjoyable read. I highly recommend Jo-Kin vs Lord Terrato all the kids in the universe, big or small.Jo-Kin vs Lord Terra is the latest release from award-winning author-teacher Karen Tyrrell and is book 2 in the Super Space Kids series. There are more adventures to come. Yes, Josh Atkins, life is awesome.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE MOVIE

STORY GIANT is proud to announce commencement of pre-production activities for its multi-award winning short script, Cupcakes. The film will be produced into a 5 minute-animated short by Story Giant Films and Northlight Productions in association with Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Film and Animation.

The Story

Story inspired by local Ronald McDonald House Charities

A glance into the human spirit through eyes of a feisty 5-year-old girl (Mia) who’s propelled to action for the love and care of her older sister who has leukemia

Story has been embraced across 2015 Global Film Festival circuit – multi-award-winning screenplay

Cupcakes has evoked a heartwarming response around the world

The Project

Film produced on RIT campus. College students get real film experience and IMDB film credit

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Josh Atkins is an
eleven year old kid who dreams of being an intergalactic game fighter. A superhero.
Protector of the universe. But there’s not much chance of that. In reality,
Josh sees himself as a goof ball. A geek.

One day, Josh reads an
advert: Wanted Super Space Kids to save
the galaxy. He can’t believe his eyes. This is his dream come through, his
big chance to zoom off into space. That is, if he can win the contest.

Soon, Josh (aka Jo-Kin)
is off to Space School for special training. He’s teamed up with Sam Jones (aka
Sam-Wich). Jo and Sam have to learn to work as a team.

Their training is a
disaster. Jo and Sam fail again and again. Sam wants to give up and go home. Jo
tries to convince Sam to stay at Space School.

Then they hear the
terrible news. A deadly alien called the It has kidnapped Captain Astra.

Sam definitely wants
to go home!

But someone has to
blast off into space, rescue Captain Astra and save the galaxy from the terrifying
It.

That someone turns out
to be Jo and Sam. This time the training is for real and failing is not an
option – if they want to survive.

Time is running out.

Jo-Kin Battles the It is out of
this world – perfect for middle grade readers aged 7 to 10 years. The story is action-packed and fast-paced. The
characters are likable (except for the It, of course, who is very scary). Kids
will love the adventure which is sometimes fun and sometimes full of danger,
suspense and ugly aliens.

Jo-Kin Battles the It is the latest release from award-winning author-teacher
Karen Tyrrell. Not only is this book a great read, the story
also deals with important topics such as team work, resilience, self-esteem and
friendship.

The book is kid-friendly with its bright, colorful cover,
black and white illustrations and appealing internal design. Whether the kids
are superheroes or geeks, the story will keep them turning the pages until, at
the end, they will be left wanting more.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Karen Tyrrell, author of Jo-Kin Battles the It, celebrates the launch of JO-KIN on Amazon, Goodreads and bookshops via a world tour … Join the FUN and win lots of fabulous prizes.Jo-Kin Battles the Itby Karen TyrrellJo-Kin is not only a FUN space adventure with incredible gadgets, robots, and monsters … AND kids will learn how to become HEROES in their own lives with resilience, teamwork and brain power skills.Teachers, school counselors and parents gave *5 STAR Reviews over on Amazon HERENow check out Karen's Blog Tour and all the TOP authors and writers hosting this event…Jo-Kin Battles the It Blog Tour

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Congratulations to award-winning children's author Karen Tyrrell on the release of her new picture book Harry Helps Grandpa Remember.

Karen is doing a blog tour to celebrate the release of her wonderful new picture book, Harry Helps Grandpa Remember. Today, Karen is visiting my blog to answer questions about how to develop classroom resources. Thank you, Karen.

How to Develop Classroom Resources

1. How can Harry Helps Grandpa Remember be used in the classroom?

“Harry” is a read aloud fully illustrated picture
book that can be shared with children to kick-start discussion on the clever ways
Harry boosted Grandpa’s memory. Then you can ask the children: How does Harry
help Grandpa remember? Later you can
broaden the discussion to memory loss, memory boosting, brain health,
grandparents, aging, and coping skills. All these suggestions should be listed
in the teacher notes, and be available for free from the author’s website.

2.How to Create High Standard Resources for the
classroom?

Research! Find similar books and research their
activities. If you’re a teacher, you’ll probably be able to produce teacher
notes and activity sheets yourself. For more advanced activities like puppet
making, jigsaws, and dot-to-dot you may need to sub-contract to a graphic designer, who
will develop the activity sheets from strong vector lines on the illustrations. Please remind your illustrator to
produce these vector lines as they
go.

3.Who should use Harry Helps Grandpa Remember as a resource?

Besides
children in general, teachers, counselors, and librarians, families with
specific needs can use “Harry” to support children who may have a family member
who is facing challenges or are seeking solutions.

Adults such
as Aged Care Workers or Carers can a use “Harry” as a resource to explain to
children what their role is.

4.How can Harry Helps Grandpa Remember
be used as a resource on Grandparents Day?

The teacher
reads “Harry”, following up with discussion on memory loss, aging, brain health, and/or heart health. After that, children choose from a selection of children’s
activities including puppet making, dot-to-dot, cut and paste story sequencing,
and various activities that promote thinking skills and problem solving.

About Karen TyrrellKaren Tyrrell is an Australian award winning resilience author-teacher of five empowering books, a motivational speaker and workshop presenter. Karen is a survivor of parent-teacher bullying , PTSD and mental illness.